Interpret Human Resource Planning

Human Resource Planning
Human Resource Planning defines project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships. One key result of Human Resource Planning is the Staffing management plan which depicts how and when team members are added to the team, and how the team members are released from the project, the training needs of the team, and several other key components.
The inputs to Human Resource Planning are:
1. Enterprise Environmental Factors – The Enterprise Environmental Factors that comprise of individuals of an organization interact and relate with one another are an input into Human Resource Planning. Items to considers about enterprise environmental factors involving organizational culture and structure are:
o Organizational – Which organizations or departments are going to be engaged in the project? Are there existing working arrangements between them? What are the formal and informal relationships between the departments?

o Technical – What are the areas of expertise needed to successfully complete this project? Do these skills need to be transitioned to the supporting organization?

o Interpersonal – What types of formal and informal reporting relationships exist among the team members? What are team members current job descriptions? What are their supervisor-subordinate relationships? What levels of trust and respect currently exist?

o Logistical – Are people in different locations or time zones? What are other type of distances between team members?

o Political – What are the individual goals and agendas of the stakeholders? Where is the informal power base and how can that influence the project? What informal alliances exist?

In addition to these factors, there are also constraints. Examples of inflexibility in Human Resource Planning are:

o Organizational Structure – An organization with a weak matrix structure is commonly a constraint.

o Collective Bargaining Agreements – Contractual agreements with service organizations can require interesting nuances to certain roles and reporting arrangements.

o Economic Conditions – Hiring freezes, little to no training funds, and a lack of traveling budget can place restrictions of staffing options.


2. Organizational Process Assets - As an organization's project management methods evolve, experience gained from past projects are available as organizational process assets. Templates and checklists reduce the planning time required and the likelihood of overlooking key responsibilities.

3. Project Management Plan - The Project Management Plan contains activity resource requirements and project management activity descriptions which assist in identifying the types and quantities of resources required for each schedule activity in a work package.

With the proper inputs, the results are going to have a good foundation. Project teams use different tools and techniques to guide the Human Resource Planning process. These three tools and techniques are:
• Organization Charts and Position Descriptions - Organization charts and position descriptions are used to communicate and clarify team member roles and responsibilities and to ensure that each work package is assigned. Organization charts can have three formats: Hierarchical-type Organization chart, Matrix-Based Responsibility Chart, and the Text-oriented format.
• Networking – Informal interactions among co-workers in the organization is a constructive way to comprehend the political and interpersonal factors which will affect organizational relations.
• Organizational Theory – Organizational theory portrays how people, teams, and organizational units behave.

The three outputs from Human Resource Planning are found below:
• Roles and Responsibilities - Clarification of roles and responsibilities gives project team members an understanding of their own rules and the roles of others in the project. Clarity is always a key component of project success.
• Project Organization Charts - A project organization chart is a diagram of the reporting relationships of project team members. Project organization charts should be tailored for their audience, they can give a generalize overview or highly granular.
• Staffing Management Plan - The Staffing Management Plan is an important output of the Human Resource Planning process which establishes the timing and methods for meeting project human resource requirements. The components of the staffing management plan are:
1. Staff Acquisition – Staff Acquisition details how the project will be staffed, where the team will work, and the level of expertise needed with the staff.
2. Timetable – The timetable illustrates the necessary time frames for project team to be available. One tool commonly used is a resource histogram.
3. Release Criteria – Release criteria lists the method and timing of releasing team member.
4. Training Needs – Training needs is a plan on how to train the project resources.
5. Recognition and rewards – Recognition and rewards are the criteria for rewarding and promoting desired team behaviors
6. Compliance – Compliance details the strategies for complying with regulations, contracts, and other established human resource policies.
7. Safety – Safety procedures are listed to protect the team members.






Q.4. Discuss Individual Evaluation Methods

Ans. There are five ways to evaluate and employee individually. In these systems, employees are evaluated one at a time without directly comparing them with other employees.

Graphical rating scale:
The most widely used performance evaluation technique is a graphic rating scale. In this technique, the evaluator is presented with a graph and asked to rate employees on each of the characteristics listed. The number of characteristics rated varies from a few to several dozen. A factor analysis of the results indicates that only two traits were being rated; quality of performance and ability to do the present job.
The rating can be is a series of boxes, or they can be on a continuous scale (0-9) or so. In the latter case, the evaluator places a check above descriptive words ranging from none to maximum. Typically, these ratings are then assigned points. For example, outstanding may be assigned a score of 4 and unsatisfactory a score of 0. Total scores are then computed. In some plans, greater weights may be assigned to more important traits. Evaluators are after asked to explain each rating with a sentence of two.

Forced Choice:
The forced-choice method of evaluation was developed because other methods used at the time led to a preponderance of higher ratings, which made promotion decisions difficult. In forced choice, the evaluator must choose from a set of descriptive statements about the employee. The two-,three-, or four-statement items are grouped in a way that the evaluator cannot easily judge which statements apply to the most effective employee.

Essay evaluation:
In the essay technique of evaluation, the evaluator is asked to describe the strong and weak aspects of the employee’s behavior. In some enterprises, the essay technique is the only one used; in others, the essay summarizes the scale, elaborates on some of the ratings, or discusses added dimensions not on the scale. In both of these approaches the essay can be open ended, but in most cases there are guidelines on the topics to be covered, the purpose of the essay, and so on. The essay method can be used be evaluators who are superiors, peers, or subordinates of the employee to be evaluated.

Management by objectives:
Another individual evaluation method in use today is Management by Objectives (MBO). In this system, the supervisor and employee to be evaluated jointly set objectives in advance for the employee to try to achieve during a specified period. The method encourages, if not requires, them to phrase these objectives primarily in achievement of the objectives. The approach combines the superior and self-evaluation systems.

Critical incident technique:
In this technique, personnel specialists and operating managers prepare lists of statements of very effective and very ineffective behavior for an employee. These are the critical incidents. These are the critical incidents. The personnel specialists combine these statements into categories, which vary with the job. Once the categories are developed and statements of effective and ineffective behaviour are provided, the evaluator “records examples of critical (outstandingly good or bad) behaviors in each of the categories, and the log is used to evaluate the employee at the end of the period. It is also very useful for the evaluation interview, since the evaluator can be specific in making positive and negative comment, and it avoids “recently” bias. The critical incident technique is more likely to be used by superiors than in peer or subordinate evaluations.

Behaviourally anchored rating scale:
Anther technique which essentially is based on the critical incident approach is the Behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS). This technique is also called the behavioural expectation scale (BES). This is new, relatively infrequently used technique.
Supervisors give descriptions of actually good and bad performance, and personnel specialists group these into categories (five to ten is typical). As with weighted checklist, the items are evaluated by supervisors (often other than those who submitted the items). A procedure similar to that for weighted checklists is used to verify the evaluations (outstandingly good, for example) with the smallest standard deviation, hopefully around 1.5 on a 7-point scale. These items are then used to construct the BARS.


Case Study
Vinod has been working in I.G. Ferns and Curtains for almost 15 years. He has been a sincere worker. He leaves his house at 7 a.m. and works till 5.30 p.m. every day. If there is heavy orders, he even works till late in the evenings and if necessary even on Sundays. Though other workers leave their work incomplete at 5.00 p.m. the closing time resume their work only the next day, Vinod does not do so. He invariable completes his work before leaving even it is passed the closing time. The Manager thus depends on Vinod to complete the work left incomplete by other tailors. If there is an additional order, the manager invariably gives it to Vinod.
Vinod married Diana about two years back. After his marriage, he has been indulging in alcoholism. Vinod's marital life was in trouble not very successful. He started developing feeling of hatred towards his wife. He was dissatisfied in his sexual relations and started visiting prostitutes. Here he came under the influence of youngsters. Seeing the deteriorating morale and social life of Vinod, his brother approached IG Ferns and certain and asked them not to overburden him with work. She alleged that because of his working for long hours, he does not pay any attention to his family life. His wife has almost rejected him and if these states of affairs continue she has threatened to break the nuptial bondage.
The firm’s policy at present is to redress the grievances of the employees and to deal with only those grievances relating to the terms and conditions of employment and work.
Questions:

1. Does the issue raised by Vinod's mother come under the purview of Human Resource Management?

2. If you were the Manager, how would you redress this grievance?

3. Do you suggest a change in the present HR policy? If so, mention the policy.

Ans: 1. Yes, the issues raised by vinod’s mother totally come under the purview of human resource management as his extra work pressure took a toll on his social life. He was not able to fulfill his household responsibilities. He was always overburdened with his work. Consequently his social life deteriorated to an extent, that he practised immoral activities.
In my perception, had he been working for normal hours, he would have sufficient time to do justice with his social responsibilities towards his mother and wife.


Ans: 2. Had I been the manager, I would have appreciated Vinod’s hard work and his responsibilities towards his job. However I would have distributed his extra work with his Colleagues equally. It is not possible I would have recruited extra staff to fulfill the overburdened work. So that he was ample amount of time to spend with his family and do justice with his household responsibilities. Infect I would have given him some moral support by giving him promotions and extra work allowances.


Ans: 3. Yes, the present HR policy should be change. In my opinion, the firm should not only amend the grievances of the employee relating to the terms and conditions of the employment but also the firm should entertain some social and moral responsibilities towards the employee. According to me the company should have some internal rotation policy to revitalize the employees. Apart from normal job schedule, they should be some extra work allowances as well. According to the talent and caliber of the employee, he should be given promotion and other recreational facilities.